September 23: St. Lawrence Overview

The St. Lawrence River: Outlet (and Inlet) to the Great Lakes 

Over our opening-night dinner, the group heard from representatives of Save the River and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers. We learned that the St. Lawrence is no ordinary river. It is a big, swift, relatively straight channel that connects nearly 20 percent of Earth’s available fresh surface water to the Atlantic Ocean. It also connects the Lakes to the Atlantic in another way, as the locks and dams of the Seaway allow international shipping vessels access to the five big bodies of water upstream.  But the St. Lawrence isn’t entirely unique. It’s impacted by the usual concerns – legacy pollution, reduced water quality, invasive species and others.